bf + formula feeding to ebf with twins

My twins are 4.5 weeks. I have been breastfeeding and formula feeding them so far. Usually I would offer my breast then "top off" with formula. (Recommended by the nicu nurse and I've just kept doing it)They would eat this way every 3-4 hrs. Sometimes though I would only bf or ff based on response or convenience.

I would like to exclusivly bf or at least cut back to maybe a bottle of formula at bedtime.
Today at 7am I didn't offer the usual bottles and let them bf as long and often they want. At around lunch they had been on for pretty much the whole day so I gave 1 bottle so I could get a break and eat. I also will give them a bottle before bed so I can get a few hours of sleep.
Bc if they pop off and I put them down they cry like they are hungry so they have had very little wake or time away from the breast. Normally they are awake and content for several hours not being held or fed.

My questions..If I continue what I've been doing will their nursing sessions shorter as my supply increases? Are they becoming or will they become dependant on my nipple as a pacifier or are they truly needing this 'round the clock feeding to get enough until my supply regulates?

Last edited by @llli*heathermc; January 2nd, 2012 at 06:39 PM.
Reason: adding details

Re: bf + formula feeding to ebf with twi

Hi: Congratulations with your two babes! And good work making it through the first month, sanity intact! I hope someone with more experience will respond, but meanwhile I just wanted to say that at 4.5 weeks adjusted my (non-twin) son was attached pretty much non-stop. And I had a great supply. It was just how he was, attached or crying. So I would let him suckle until I couldn't handle it, and then I would hand him to Dad to bounce (which mostly worked to keep crying at bay) until I was ready to let him suckle some more. I think that lasted for about two months. I think my first post here was at about 6 weeks, when I was pretty much living on the couch or the bouncing ball and crying a lot myself, wondering if I would ever have a life again. But then, all on its own, about two weeks later he stopped needing to suckle so much. I know how you feel -- I'm sure we all do -- and I'm sure that feeling is so much more intense with two babies!

As for the amount they are feeding, have you ever had a full day without formula? Have you ever tried to measure how much they take at a bf -- by weigh-bf-weigh?

It truly doesn't last, so hang in there!

Kate

Mother to a sweet boy, born at 34 weeks on 2/11/11.
Proud that I grew 26 lbs of baby before solids, and still counting...

Re: bf + formula feeding to ebf with twi

What you describe is basically normal. Month-old babies generally spend huge amounts of time nursing, and the time between their nursing sessions is generally short. My kids both nursed about every 1-2 hours at that age. if your babies have been content and awake for a couple of hours between feedings when supplemented with formula, that's probably because with formula top-offs you were able to get them to the point of being burstingly full. And when a baby is really, really full, they can lapse into what my nephew calls a "food coma", which is the feeling an adult gets after eating a huge meal. All you can do is lie around and grin, and hope the button on your pants doesn't fly off.

If you continue to nurse and not supplement, your babies frequent nursing should get your supply up to where it needs to be, and as the babies become more proficient breastfeeders, they should be able to get their meals faster and go somewhat longer between meals. Just don't necessarily expect a 3-4 hour window of time between feedings, since that's not typical for young breastfed babies. Not unheard of, not really rare, but not typical, either.